USA: White House Held First Meeting on Issues for Bisexuals

Some people might see the idea of discussing bisexual issues as redundant; the B in “LGBT” does, after all, stand for “bisexual,” and legislation such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is inclusive of the bisexual community. However, the president of BiNet USA, Faith Cheltenham, told the Washington Blade, “Our community is definitely in desperate need. When we do come out, the things that happen to us are different than what happens to gays or lesbians. We won’t get promoted sometimes because we’re out and people think we’re flaky.” Cheltenham, who is married to a straight man, pointed out that many bisexuals suffer discrimination from both the gay community and the mainstream community. She also cited a 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which found that sixty-one percent of bisexual women have been on the receiving end of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking due to their sexual orientation, compared to forty-four percent for lesbians and thirty-five percent for straight women.

Bisexuality gets so little coverage on both the mainstream and LGBT press – believe me, we’re always on the look-out for articles and news relating to our bisexual brothers and sisters. So it’s great to see this meeting taking place.